DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 1: Is Gray really worth starting at home?

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 22: The tarp is seen on the field during a rain delay of a game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium on July 22, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 1: Is Gray really worth starting at home?

We have a wacky Wednesday on DraftKings. First off, six teams are off completely, which is unusual. On top of that, the Nats and Mets kick off earlier than everyone else, so that is showdown only. The other 11 games are evenly split though with five in the afternoon and six on the main slate. This will concentrate on the early five.

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It could be a wet day in New York, but if they wait long enough, this game will play. I fully expect a delay of at least an hour though.

The only wind we have today is a 15 mph wind out to right in Oakland. That still wont provide much of a boost in that cavernous ballpark.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. We have plenty of writers on here who give you relevant information no matter which site you play on!

For you first time players, if you would like $20 in free DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

DENVER, CO – JULY 27: Sean Manaea #55 of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a game during interleave play at Coors Field on July 27, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Sonny Gray ($8,500): Here we go again! Every fiber of my being tells me to stay off Gray and his 6.80 ERA at home. That said, the only reason Gray’s ERA is under 7 at home is because he dominated these Orioles there in his last home start on July 11th. Gray picked up 31.1 DraftKings points in that one, and the Orioles still had Machado! There is a lot to like about this one.

Middle Tier:

Sean Manaea ($8,000): The Jays only mustered one run in the opener of this series, and came up empty last night against Cahill as well. Manaea has not given up more than three runs in a start since late May, so he is about as safe as they get right now. With Donaldson and Gurriel out, this offense lacks punch, so this looks like a really good spot for Manaea even though the Jays did well against him earlier this year. Donaldson was a big part of that though. What’s left of the Jays is only hitting .244 with one homer and three runs in 45 at bats with 12 strikeouts against Manaea.

Mike Fiers ($7,800): That’s a lot to spend on a guy like Fiers who doesn’t notch a lot of strikeouts. However, Fiers has a 2.85 ERA at home in 11 starts this season. The current Reds are also just 4-32 (.,125) off of him with two RBI. Three of those four hits are by one player. There is solid potential for Fiers since this game is at home. The Reds are struggling to score all of the sudden, so a good game could be in the cards for Fiers.

Bargain Pitchers:

Sal Romano ($5,200): Romano dominated the Tigers in Cincinnati earlier this year, holding them to just four hits in seven shutout innings. Granted, Romano has been better at home, but we saw Homer “tomato can” Bailey hold the Tigers in check last night. There is a lot to like about Romano today, not the least of which is the price and huge park upgrade.

DETROIT, MI – JULY 27: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates his fifth inning two run home run with Jose Ramirez #11 while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 27, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

New York Yankees vs. Alex Cobb:

Believe it or not, the only Yankee to really get to Alex Cobb is Brett Gardner. That said, Cobb has a 6.08 ERA on the season and a 6.35 ERA on the road. That said, Cobb has been good in Yankee Stadium over the years, posting a 3.12 ERA in five career starts. That has me inclined to not push a full stack, but Cobb’s stats this year, the likelihood of a late start, and the atrocity known as the Baltimore bullpen have me interested. Greg Bird and Gleyber Torres look cheap. Stanton, Hicks, and Gregorius are on the radar as well. Anyone in pinstripes is fair game.

Cleveland Indians vs. Adalberto Mejia:

Mejia’s numbers are solid this year, and solid against Cleveland, so why am I down on him? Well, for one thing, he walks way too many batters to have continued success or a nice game score. Mejia has a 1.62 WHIP despite a solid 3.65 ERA, and he has walked seven Cleveland players in just 40 plate appearances. His luck will run out sometime, and against a lineup that has Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor in it looks like the prime place. Lefty whisperer Brandon Guyer is a nice cheap addition, and I want Yan Gomes as well. After that, you can plug and play. Edwin should be a lock as well.

Seattle Mariners vs. Dallas Keuchel:

Keuchel is good when used in the right matchup. Despite Keuchel’s 3.04 road ERA, I don’t trust him here. Keuchel has allowed nine runs in 14.2 innings in two starts against the Mariners this year. He lost both of those. The Mariners have seven homers and 19 RBIin 142 at bats to go with the .273 average. Nelson Cruz has four of those homers and seven RBI. Jean Segura has homered twice off of Keuchel as well. Zunino has a homer against Keuchel as well. Look out for the power of Healy and Haniger as well.

Houston Astros vs. Wade LeBlanc:

Yes, LeBlanc has had a solid season, especially at home where he holds a 2.67 ERA in nine starts. That said, the Astros have destroyed Leblanc in two meeting this year. Houston has scored seven runs in eight innings against LeBlanc. Overall, the healthy Astros are hitting .444 in 36 at bats with four homers and nine runs. Gattis has three of those homers, so lock him in. Reddick has the other. Tony Kemp has not be retired by LeBlanc yet. Springer and Maldonado are hitting .400 or better against LeBlanc. You really can’t go wrong with Astros here.

OAKLAND, CA – JULY 30: Khris Davis #2 of the Oakland Athletics hits a sacrifice fly scoring Nick Martini #38 against the Toronto Blue Jays in the bottom of the third inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on July 30, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Joey Votto has three of the four hits and all of the RBI for the Reds against Mike Fiers. I’m not really crazy about anyone else in this lineup, but if you want to give Suarez a whirl, I’m not going to say it’s a bad idea.

Marcus Stroman has pitched much better over his last few starts. So much that I may consider him in Oakland if it weren’t for the A’s hitting pretty well right now. I want Khris Davis here since he is the only Oakland player that has homered against Stroman. I’m not sold enough on anyone else to take them here.

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Middle Tier:

Sal Romano is not a dominant pitcher, but I can’t find anyone in the Detroit lineup that I really like besides Niko Goodrum. Candelario is a switch hitter that is reasonably priced as well if you really want some exposure to Romano.

Bargain Shoppers:

Tim Beckham has two homers and six RBI against Sonny Gray in 19 at bats, so if some Oriole tags him, it will likely be Beckham. Valencia and Adam Jones have homered off of Gray as well.

For the record, the Twins, even without Escobar and Dozier, are hitting .298 against Carlos Carrasco with three homers and 21 runs in 131 at bats. This is not a guy you want to pay top dollar for. Mauer is just $3,500, and he is 13-32(.406) with a homer, three RBI, and nine runs against Carrasco. Rosario and Kepler have the other homers, and are also reasonably priced.

Next. Game by game MLB breakdown August 1st. dark

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